Peines ou Traitements Cruels Arrangements
by Elade Whisperwind
Summary: The crew meet a woman betrothed to a man she doesn't know, and sheltered all her life. She instantly takes a shine to the cook, but of course, things aren't that easy. Arguments/mature content later on. SanOC some LuNa, UsoNa and Frobin Currently on Hiatu
1. Seul

Wow, a new story. College took up a lot of time and I had no time to write, no inspiration either, then all of a sudden... Jeez I can't stop writing. This is the first part of one of many fics I've written recently. I wanted to do this longer, but x. This is only a 'watered down' version, for the simple fact, later on there will be mature content. So the full version is on Paperdemon/Redcurtain under Azuppon. This is just the version with all the mature content cut out.

Disclaimer: Obv. i do not own One Piece of any of it's characters. I do, however, own Azu ;D and any other Oc's unless otherwise stated.

Title is french for; Cruel Arrangements.

**Peines ou Traitements Cruels Arrangements**

Seul

It was a nice day.

Well, it seemed nice at least. From inside of her bedroom, staring out of the window, she couldn't see anything but the sun in the bright blue curtain of sky. She sighed, putting the brush down from her blonde locks and running a hand over them.

Azu scrunched her nose up; she hated her hair being long. But, she'd been forced to grow it. It wasn't 'proper' for a woman to cut her hair, especially as short as she wanted it. She sighed, dropping her hands into her lap and lent her head against the large window of her room. Her silver eyes lingered on the outside, before she scrunched her nose up and stood up straight.

She glanced around her room and huffed somewhat childishly. It was huge; her bed could have fit seven people, if not more. God knows what she was supposed to do with all the space! She had no friends; she was far to controlled to even be allowed outside.

Her room was white and very vast, also very boring in her eyes. In the centre of the room sat her bed, and there was a desk opposite from her. She smiled sadly. It had never been used; she wasn't allowed to read. It wasn't right for a woman to be educated like that. There was a large closet where she kept all her dresses; she hated them. Perhaps, had she not been brought up in them, she would have loved to wear such elegant things. However, she preferred to wear the shorts and a loose fitting blouse she kept hidden under her bed.

And she wanted to avoid the closet.

Her wedding dress was in there. Her eyes fell to the floor and she sighed. It was beautiful, even she could see that; but it wouldn't suit her. It was too big, too fancy and too fussy. Not to mention she didn't even want to get married in the first place. She didn't even know the man well... His name was Edward or something like that. Could have even been Jack... Or William.

Azu huffed to herself and plopped herself down onto her soft bed. She didn't care what his name was; she wouldn't marry him. He didn't love her, heck, he didn't know her. They were only marrying because of her late mother. Something to do with an old family promise or something.

The blonde sighed and rooted around under the bed for a few pieces of material until she grinned; pulling them out.

Maybe a small trip outside would do her some good.

It was a nice day.

That was for sure; at least, to the blonde. Sanji's grin grew as he nodded, yelling various answers to the navigator as she listed off what they needed from the island. The swordsman off to the side barked at him to keep his mouth shut, but the cooks' mood was far too good to even call him 'marimo'.

The captain beside him stuck his finger up his nose. He didn't want to go shopping, that was boring! He wanted to go find adventure or something, but this time, with their newly acquired bounties, Nami had insisted that he was to be accompanied at all times while on this island.

Of course, Sanji had been the first to volunteer. _Anything for his angel_.

Zoro scoffed; rolling his eyes as Nami yelled at the cook for not really listening to what she was saying. Really, didn't the man have any pride? Taking orders from a woman so easily. Not to mention he'd run his own foot over if Nami commanded it.

The swordsman may have disliked saying no to the navigator, mainly because he didn't want his ear yanked or his cheek pinched, but even he had his limits. And his dignity; unlike the blonde who was now sprawled out on the deck, yelling about how 'Nami-swans punches were heavenly' or something of the sort.

Luffy was just laughing at the cook, and grinned as Nami huffed and stormed off. It was pretty much a normal day for them, but the captain could almost tell there was something un-normal brewing where they couldn't see. It felt like a storm; the air felt different, and even if no one acted differently or said anything, they were all tense. Whatever it was, was going to blow through like a hurricane and devastate everything it its path.

By the time the cook had straightened himself out and was ready to leave, Luffy was harassing some of the people who populated the docks for places he could get food. Sanji groaned and yanked the rubber-mans ear before dragging him off towards the town.

It was only small, and it looked rather wholesome. The type of place you'd like to grow up in. Sanji smiled gently; biting on the end of his cigarette as he looked around the market. Luffy was already complaining he was hungry; despite being surrounded by a ton of various cooking ingredients. "Quit your complaining, shitty rubber-boy."

Luffy huffed and puffed his cheeks out. "Respect your captain!"

The blonde rolled his eyes and picked up a bulb of Garlic from a stall. He frowned as he stared it over; it wasn't really good produce. He put it down and picked up an onion that set next to it. His frown grew; it was in the same state as the garlic.

Sighing, he was about to put it back down- or shove it into Luffy's mouth if he didn't shut up, but he was suddenly knocked over. The whole place seemed to go quiet as he groaned. He'd hit his head on the ground, as whatever had knocked him over lay on top of him. They weren't heavy, that was for sure.

He moved to look up at the person, but they'd moved at the same time and they ended up banging heads. Both of them yelled and groaned as the other person recoiled and rubbed their head. It was only then that the cook noticed that it was a woman.

A very beautiful woman.

"Ah- I'm so sorry!" He said frantically, sitting up in such a way that it wouldn't push her from where she was still sprawled on him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt a woman.

She shook her head, her red lips turning up into a small smile as she removed her hand from her head. "My fault," she said briefly; pushing herself up. She frowned, almost as if forgetting something, but shook her head. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

Of course, the blonde wasn't having any of this. "No. No it was my fault."

Azu chuckled and offered a hand to help him up. He paused, before giving her a charming smile and taking her hand. Her eyes widened a little and she paused as she gulped. His hand felt so strange in hers, and it tingled her skin. She shook her head, pulling him up and quickly removing her hand. She was tempted to wipe it on her shorts to stop the tingling, but she... kind of liked it.

They were silent for a while; both staring like idiots at the ground. He was never usually shy around girls, but he felt so inferior to her. She was almost as tall as him, and her skin looked soft and like snow. He almost wanted to reach out and touch it, but he managed to control himself and not do it. She was skinny- far too skinny for his liking. She was smaller than Nami, and even he had to admit she could do with some more meat on her. However, her chest... He almost had a nose bleed and he averted his gaze to her beautiful, shining silver eyes.

He gulped as she raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes. She didn't like his scrutiny, but then again, she was returning it with her own. She smirked slightly as she looked him up and down. She wished she could see both his blue eyes, but she thought he'd look a little strange if he didn't have the bit of blonde hair covering his eye.

Azu shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other and cleared her throat. "It was rude of me, I'm Azu..."

The cook smiled as her voice sung through his head; Azu. Sounded like some tropical bird or something. "Sanji."

Luffy stared between them utterly confused. Usually the cook would spurt out random compliments, try and kiss her and usually get slapped in the face. However, now he seemed almost shy.

The captain blinked; appearing in front of Azu and sticking his face right up to hers. His forehead pressed against hers and he blinked a few times; wondering what was so different about this woman. Azu blushed lightly, but didn't flinch from the closeness, she just raised an eyebrow.

Behind the rubber-man, Sanji growled dangerously. How dare he...! Though, he wasn't sure if he was angrier that he was blocking the view of the wondrous angel, or whether it was due to the closeness. He didn't like it and rage boiled in his blood; rage and jealousy. He couldn't help it! She had private space and he was intruding into it.

Though secretly he wished he was the one intruding into her space.

The cook growled and grabbed the back of Luffy's shirt, yanking him away from the woman. Both Luffy and Azu were surprised; especially Azu, when Sanji started to kick the captain over the head. "Don't. Invade. People's. Personal. Space!"

Azu laughed nervously. "Um, no, it's okay really..." she mumbled, waving her hand a little. Sanji looked up at her and blinked a few times while Luffy let out a sigh of relief that the onslaught was over. He was about to relax, when the blonde male kicked him once more for good measures. "Are you sailors, or something?" She blinked. "On holiday?" She cocked her head to the side. It was true she didn't really get out much, but she knew enough to know they weren't locals.

Luffy grinned and jumped up- though remembering to stay as far away from Sanji as possible. "Nope! We're pirates!"

The pair watched as Azu's eyes grew steadily wider. They were both almost sure she'd run away, screaming for a marine or something, but instead her lips turned up into a grin. "Really now?"

Luffy narrowed his eyes. Her tone sounded much like the one Nami used whenever she wanted something. He knew well enough to be cautious, Sanji, however... Well... If she commanded him to jump off a cliff, the captain doubted Sanji would have any trouble saying no.

Azu's eyes narrowed when a pair of women walked past. They were both deep in conversation, and she felt slightly... inadequate to them. She was far too skinny and she hated it. She barely ever got to eat the things she wanted in the amounts she wanted, and while the two women weren't exactly large, they were still more filled out than her.

They both paused, feeling eyes on them, and Azu was sure for a moment she'd been caught out. Her eyes widened when they smiled shyly at the blonde, and they giggled. So that was it. She snapped her attention towards the blonde, a light frown upon her face. He was blushing quite furiously and grinning stupidly at them as they giggled again, and carried on walking. So he's a ladies' man,' she thought dryly; folding her arms over her chest.

She knew the type; one who'd flirt shamelessly with any woman who'd listen- and even those who didn't. The love 'em and leave 'em type of person. It made her sick. Love was a commitment, not a onetime thing. She muttered a few colourful words a woman of her stature shouldn't have known, and huffed lightly. Most of the time, they weren't even fairly good looking; however, this one... She couldn't deny he was nice on the eyes. No doubt women queued up to him.

She had to remind herself that she had a fiancée, and that she was to be married the following day, but still... They were pirates. They were away off the island, away from everything.

Azu opened her mouth to ask them a question, but her eyes grew wide and she snapped her mouth shut when she heard a loud voice behind her. Luffy and Sanji who had now gotten over the two women, both snapped their attention to the yell, then to Azu who was laughing nervously and had gone as rigid as a dead cat or something.

"Azu!"

"I-I... damn..." she muttered, pulling a face with a mix of disgust and disappointment. She turned on her feet to face the large, brown haired man. He was panting, and he looked very, very annoyed. "You were slower than usual!" She laughed loudly and backed away from him.

Luffy raised an eyebrow and frowned. He liked this woman, she was funny! If she was scared of this person, he couldn't have been very nice. Beside him, Sanji narrowed his eyes at the way Azu suddenly looked like a small child.

The man growled and grabbed Azu's wrist, before picking her up and easily slinging her over his shoulder. "Sorry about this," he muttered, looking at the two unfamiliar pirates. He rolled his eyes; no doubt they were travellers and she was trying to barter passage off the island. "Azu isn't supposed to be outside."

In a rather immature act, the woman on his shoulder hit his back and blew a raspberry at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes again at her childish ways. "Honestly, oujou-san, you should act more like a lady."

"I don't want to be a lady; I want to be put down!" She poked her tongue out and hit his back more forcefully.

It was safe to say, the two onlookers were very confused. They weren't sure if they should step in or not. If she didn't want to go then he couldn't force her, then again, there might have been a very good reason.

The man huffed, looking at the two again and ignoring Azu. "I'm sorry if she bothered you. She does it to everyone." She blew another raspberry and tried to kick him between the legs. However, he seemed used to this as he easily stopped her legs. He sighed tiredly and rubbed his forehead with his free hand.

"No... She wasn't bothering us at all..." Sanji said slowly, blinking a few times. She was a troublemaker? Luffy just laughed loudly at this; didn't Usopp also have a bad reputation when they met him?

"No, I really am sorry you don't have to defend her." He shifted her so she was easier to hold on his shoulder, and growled when she went limp- dropping her weight, and now playing dead. "Azu! Will you please cooperate, just this once?!"

"No. Can't you see it? By taking me back I... I'm... I'm going to die!"

Luffy laughed even more loudly; she was an even worse liar than Usopp, and not to mention she was just hilarious. Then again to him, a feather blowing in the wind was probably hilarious. The blonde beside him muttered at him to shut up and grabbed his cheek.

"There's a gathering tomorrow at the estate at the edge of the village, as an apology for oujou-san, please take an invitation from me." He smiled gently, and Azu suddenly stopped what she was doing.

A rather devious grin sat on her lips, though of course, no one could see it. They were pirates, and he didn't know! By inviting them to the house- where lots of rather expensive items, which pirates liked, he was pretty much freeing her. She had to bite her lip to keep herself from chuckling. All she had to do now was make sure they caused uproar; then she could escape in the panic, hide in their ship and she'd be free! It sounded like a pretty good plan too.

Luffy's eyes went wide. "Will there be food?"

"As much as you could ever want," the man smiled back, frowning slightly in confusion at Azu's sudden compliance with him.

Without even thinking to talk it through with the rest of the crew, or even thinking for five seconds it could be a marine trap, the captain agreed. With that settled, the man holding Azu smiled politely, bid his goodbye and started to traipse back towards the estate he'd mentioned to them. He was still unaware of the grin on Azu's face, Sanji and Luffy, however, were not.

"Why's she so happy now?"

The cook grinned, hearts practically coming from his eyes as he looked ready to explode. "She's happy that she's going to see me again tomorrow!"

"No. That's not it."

"Shut up!" Sanji roared, kicking the captain again, this time; back most of the way towards the ship. He started off after him but paused and looked behind him to where the man had taken Azu. He frowned lightly, deciding to shake off the strange feeling suddenly overcoming him. She was no one special, a noble woman by the looks of it, and a very skinny one too.

She probably hadn't had a decent meal in her life by the looks of her. He smiled to himself and lit another cigarette while shoving his hands into his pockets. He felt the strangest urge to want to change that, to take her back with him and cook the most amazing meal he'd ever made for her.

Sanji sighed to himself and followed after Luffy. She was far too good for him, not to mention she'd probably never look his way twice, and after tomorrow, he'd likely never see her again. The thought disturbed him more than it probably should have, but he shrugged off the new strange feeling and carried on walking.

Now they just had to convince the others it wasn't a trap. He had to see her one more time... He just had to.


	2. Tout

_Disclaimer; of course I don't own One Piece, it's characters etc etc. Just my OC's. Nothing else._

**Peines ou Traitements Cruels Arrangements**

Tout

She wasn't sure why that day seemed so exciting, but it did. She wasn't nervous, and she didn't have cold feet. She wouldn't be getting married, so she had nothing to be nervous about. As long as those guys came and helped her... she'd be fine.

Azu stared into the mirror and scowled. Some strangers were touching her face, plastering make-up on her and doing her blonde hair up into something fancy. She let out a deep sigh; she barely recognised herself. If she ever did get married, to someone she loved, she knew it wouldn't be like this. She didn't care about how she looked, as long as she was happy, she didn't care. Right now, she was anything _but_ happy.

She glanced over at the dress which lay on her bed. It seemed so small in the middle of it all, but she would feel even smaller in it. It was beautiful, that was for sure, but it wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want all the fancy stuff and she didn't like how it was supposed to make her waist and chest look small and her backside look big.

It was white, of course.

She scrunched her nose up. Her father had insisted; she was a virgin, therefore, she'd wear white. Azu scoffed softly to herself- one of the people doing her hair jumped and Azu rolled her eyes. White had never looked good on her, it always made her look terrible, and it always washed out her skin and made her look more pale than usual.

She smiled softly. If she had the choice to pick out her own it wouldn't be near as fancy, or white. If anything, she'd be more comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt. The blonde sighed and tapped her fingers on the dresser. If those guys didn't show up and help her, free her, she wasn't sure what she'd do.

Azu shuddered; she'd be stuck with 'wedding night rituals' with some man she didn't know. She scrunched her nose up and made an annoyed sound. She wanted to fall in love, even if it took years. And she didn't care about marriage, if she loved someone, she'd give herself to them.

She could just imagine what her father would say to that.

Nami was, very much to say, in awe of the estate. It was so grandeur and... The people who lived here must have been rich! Her eyes sparkled, and she was happy she'd chosen something more formal to wear. _A wedding_! They hadn't mentioned it being a wedding, though, by the look on the captain and cook's faces, they didn't know either.

The people around them all wore expensive clothes and jewels, and most of them looked bored. They guessed the groom was the very handsome and charming man surrounded by women. He was fluttering them away though, and Sanji always made a play to cheer the rejected women up- however, they just scowled at him, and the rejected cook went back to searching for the beauty from yesterday.

"Idiot, you look like a lost puppy."

The cook growled, turning to the swordsman. "Shut up, shitty marimo," he muttered, biting down on the end of his cigarette. He'd understand when he saw her; he knew he would. They all would.

Robin chuckled lightly at the cook and smiled gently at Franky who looked very awkward wearing trousers. The poor guy, Nami had practically thrown them at him. If they were going somewhere wealthy, then she wanted him to look his best.

Said navigator grinned deviously as she 'accidentally' brushed past another woman of her age and height. She exchanged apologies, and when the woman had gone, Nami looked down at the pearl bracelet. These people were just too easy!

She knew Sanji felt very awkward for what they had planned; he didn't want to steal anything from this supposed angel he'd been babbling about, but, Nami didn't care. If it was shiny or gold, it was hers. And of course, the cook had bended to her will without a second thought.

Hush fell over the room, and a few of the women gasped and whispered between themselves. The straw hats, confused at the sudden reaction, turned their attention to follow the others gazes.

Sanji's eyes grew wide as he stared at the woman at the top of the stairs. That dress just made her look even more beautiful than she already was! He gulped; it couldn't have been the same woman from yesterday though. She looked so different, and he could tell by the expression on her face that she didn't like it at all. And she was the one getting married? At the thought of it, his throat tightened and he frowned; tearing his gaze from her and frowning. His gaze had accidently landed on the navigator's backside, and he blushed, but didn't look away.

Azu sighed, glancing around the room. She didn't know anyone there. Most likely her husband's-to-be friends or her father's business contacts. Her eyes landed on the small group in the centre, and she smiled. She recognised the one with the straw hat straight away, but...

Her eyes fell to the blonde and her face lit up with a smile, until she realised he wasn't looking at her... He was looking at the red-heads pert ass. Azu rolled her eyes; so that was his type. She understood all too well, and as she hit the last step, she spared him no second glance.

Luffy laughed and ran straight over to her- dragging Nami with him in the process. She grumbled at him, but didn't protest, not at the thought of him actually knowing the Wealthy lady of the house. Maybe she could get some gold from her...

However, poor Luffy was caught by one of the guards just before he reached Azu and he struggled. "Let me go!"

Azu sighed and shook her head. "It's okay, you can let him go," she said, her voice quiet. She knew she'd get a lecture if she used her normal, heavy voice. The guard looked at Azu for a few moments, before sighing and letting him go, he shot him a rather harsh look though before he headed back to his post.

Azu smiled lightly and awkwardly and opened her mouth to talk to him, but she was cut off when her arm was tugged. She blinked in confusion when a pair of arms wrapped around her and she hit someone's hard chest, and she thought for a minute it was that blonde- but... when she looked up.

She frowned lightly. "What are you doing?"

The brown haired male laughed lightly. "Azuki-chan," he chuckled lightly, brushing some of her blonde hair behind her ear. "You look beautiful."

Most people paid the pair no mention, they were getting married! They had every right to be close together, however, Sanji just kept his eyes upon the two. She looked so uncomfortable and she was trying to release herself from his grip; couldn't he see that?! He muttered a few insults under his breath and lit a cigarette. Nami'd told him not to smoke, but well, he'd seen other people smoking and right then he really didn't care. It took every inch of him not to go over there and pull her from him. No woman should be forced to do something like that.

But he had no say in the matter, did he? After all, they were going to steal from them and if they were getting married then they must have loved each other. That was yet another rejection towards the cook, and he sighed deeply as he slumped down into a chair.

Azu, after finally managing to get away from her fiancée, glanced around the place, looking for the straw-hat kid to talk to. At least she knew him, and he was friendly... not to mention he was her way off the island. She wasn't sure how long she had before they were married, but... if those guys were going to do anything; it had to be then; before any kind of ceremony took place.

She glanced around the room in a bored manner. She knew little of these people, and she didn't even know most of their names. She blinked in surprise when her silver eyes landed on the blonde from the previous day.

She raised an eyebrow, and slowly walked over to him; ignoring the giggling girls across the room from her. They seemed to be staring at someone and whispering, at first she thought it was the cook, but she soon realised it wasn't.

"You're alone?"

Sanji's head instantly snapped up and he frowned at the strange expression on her face, not to mention the quietness of her voice. What happened to the fiery woman from the day before? "No," he mumbled, motioning across the room to three of his companions.

Two men and a woman, Azu noted. She knew one of the men, the straw hat kid from the previous day. He looked pretty awkward wearing more of a formal outfit and she stifled a laugh when a woman shrieked at him for having his finger stuck up his nose.

The woman in the group groaned and slapped her forehead, before pinching his cheek and yelling. Azu narrowed her eyes a little as she stared her over. Skinny, far too skinny, then again, she wasn't one to talk. Her hair was short, coming below her chin and almost to her shoulders and it was an orange colour. She had large brown eyes. Oh... She suddenly realised, frowning even more when she followed Sanji's gaze to her with a rather sad expression. He... likes her... She sighed and quickly turned her attention to the next man in the group.

He was sat laughing at the other two, and Azu raised an eyebrow at his long nose. It was a little strange, but she'd seen people with longer legs than that. She guessed he was about her age, and he had black hair that was pulled back under a bandanna. He wore a more casual, but still a rather smart, outfit.

"Your friends, I guess."

Sanji nodded and looked at her with a frown. "You and your fiancée don't... seem very close."

Azu was tempted to crinkle her nose up, tell him it had nothing to do with him and storm off, but instead she sunk into the chair beside him. "I know his name, and that's it... I think he's twice my age though," she shook her head and gazed across the room. He wasn't even married to her yet, and he was already flirting with some woman. Sanji's eye twitched when he followed his eyes; sure he may have been a flirt, but he also wasn't engaged and about to be married. "My father wants us to get married... but he's not even here."

"Can't you say no?"

Azu laughed lightly and raised an eyebrow. "Nope, I can't."

The cook furrowed his brow and sighed. She had every right to say no, if she didn't love him, or even like him. But he saw no chance to even help her. He barely knew her himself, it was safer not to get involved, but...

"And if he's going to call me Azuki then he's going to get a cold reception from me," she added, frowning, almost pouting. Sanji blinked and raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding at all. "It's short for Azuki bean... my mother used to call me it before she died."

"Oh."

And then, the silence sat in. Azu rolled her eyes at it and folded her arms and sat in a rather unladylike manner as she glared across at her fiancée. Couldn't they just get this over with?!

She jumped when a few screams echoed the room and the lights suddenly turned off. She glanced beside her to try and find the blonde, but it was too dark. There were no windows in the room and the lights had been the only source of light. Had he or his friends done this? Were they finally making their move?

Azu moved up onto her feet lightly- remembering to take her heeled shoes off so she could move quietly and used her hands to guide her along the wall until she found the staircase.

When she found herself upstairs, it was dark there too. She was lucky there were only two rooms there; hers, and one of the large kitchens, and she knew hers was to the left of the top of the stairs.

She quickly hurried in that direction, though she cursed when she had to lift up the skirt of her dress to move fast enough. And it was so damn noisy! And... and she was certain she could hear footsteps.

Azu slowed down to a walk to listen and gasped when she suddenly found herself on the floor. "I didn't think anyone was going to be here!"

Azu groaned; rubbing her forehead and trying to stare up through the darkness at the stranger and the gruff voice, but she couldn't see anything. Instead, she inched away from them slowly and towards her room.

By the time her back hit the door, she could tell the person who'd been in the halls had disappeared, and she knew she had to be fast. If they were leaving now, they'd have to leave the island straight away.

The blonde woman briefly heard her name being mention and she could hear someone calling for her, but she just slipped into her room. With the window in it, she was able to see quite a bit and it made it a lot easier when she practically ripped the dress from her. The ring on her finger was next to follow, and she threw it harshly on top of the pool of white silk.

Azu dove to her bed and rummaged around for her top and shorts; quickly slipping them on, along with a pair of worn sandals she kept there too. She froze though, when she heard her door handle turn and she held her breath. If she was caught now... it was over.

She clenched her eyes out of nervousness; ready to run to the window and jump out of it, and into the tree outside if she had to. It couldn't be like this, could it? She couldn't have only been bred to be married... She wanted to do so much more than that! If she was caught, then she'd... be on the arm of that man for the rest of her life, doing nothing but baring his children.

And she wasn't even eighteen yet.

"What are you doing?! Oujou-sama wouldn't have gone to her room, go outside and search for her!"

She let out a quiet sigh, but inwardly cursed. So they'd already caught on she was going to try and leave. Brilliant. Now it was just difficult.

There was little of value to her in her room, so she didn't grab anything as she ran to the window. She sighed when she opened it. It was early evening now, and getting even darker outside. It would be good cover, as long as she didn't get lost. She had to be careful not to get caught, while also making sure to stick to the paths she knew would lead her to the docks. And she only knew of one and it led right through the middle of the town.

Azu huffed and sprung out from the window; latching onto a branch of the large oak tree outside. This would be far too easy, and they weren't going to catch her this time.


End file.
